Teachers gifts

I can't believe that today my son walks out of his Junior school for the last time. In September he will be starting his journey through High School. Yesterday there was a prize giving service at the local church for all the leavers. I was able to have a proud mum moment, when Ryan received an award for his help in maintaining the schools laptops and training IT monitors from each of the year classes. I was a bit miffed that I couldn't get anywhere close enough to get a photo of him receiving his prize, but here is one I took yesterday when we got home from school.

I have to admit, I am very proud of him, he has worked so hard, and achieved so much this past year. His SAT'S results where fantastic, all 5B's and he was one of the top achievers in his year. He is turning into a very confident young person and I am sure a lot of this is down to his fantastic teacher he has had in Year 6. He went off to school today armed with presents for her and the TA.

I also made this for the class to give to their teacher.

I found this kit from House of three and using the little squares, the TA got all the children to write a thank you note to the teacher. I then put them all together in a book. Here are a few more photo's.

Hope she likes it. There are some real fun messages hidden in there, I had to smile when I was reading them, while putting the book together. Well here starts SEVEN weeks of school holidays, lots of cricket matches to attend and hopefully some lovely warm weather. (there is a Storm here at the moment, I can hear the Thunder so has better got off this puter!!

Stamping at Last !

I expect you have been getting a bit fed up with all these photographs LOL. Well I got in the craft cabin yesterday and managed to make a few things. One of the projects is for my sons teacher so can't share that just yet. But I did create a couple of cards using the Bloomin' with Beauty stamp set.

This is such a great stamp to colour, this one has been coloured in pinks. I decided not to make the card too fancy as the image is so beautiful.

Supplies:

Stamps: Bloomin' with Beauty, Oval All

Card: Regal Rose, Rose Red

Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red. Bashful Blue

Accessories: 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, Blender Pens

Next card is same image, but coloured in purple's.

Supplies:

Stamps: Bloomin' with Beauty, Oval All

Card: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum

Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Bashful Blue

Accessories: Oval and Scallop Oval Punches

Couldn't leave without showing you another technique I have learnt in Photoshop. Putting Text on Photographs. The idea is to put text in white areas of your photo's. Boy did I have plenty to choose from.. I have placed a folded paper looking texture behind both these photos then added the text.

This one was taken about a 4 years ago. One of those very ordinary photo's you have of the kids. But now worth looking at.

This second one is of my DS and our friends children in Ireland back in 2005, just before my DS fell over in the water and got soaking wet. His nickname for the rest of the holiday, was SpongeBob LOL. Again the photo was taken far too far away, but adding the text has created it into a worth while picture.

Textures

I have been learning about dressing photographs with textures. Have to admit I am having a ball. Just loving this course. Here is my photo before anything has been done to it.

As you can see it's not a very good photo, typical point and shoot without any thought behind. LOL. But using what I have learnt so far I have transformed it to this...

I expect you are all a bit fed up with photographs... Hoping to do some crafting this weekend and will share some crafting creations soon I promise. :-)

What did I learn today?

Today's lesson was making giving photo's an antique feel...I found this a bit more difficult today mainly because I couldn't choose a photograph that I felt worked with this technique..Note to myself TAKE MORE PHOTOGRAPHS!!!!!

Anyway here are my photographs after being tweaked...

Here are the photos before having anything done to them. You certainly can see the difference.

Learning Something New

I have had Photoshop elements software on my PC for a few years now and haven't ever got to grasps with it properly. So I decided to try out a free class Jessica Sprague's Photo Editing 'Frame Ups & Special Effects'. Yesterday was the first lesson. I didn't get around to doing it yesterday, so I am on catch up already LOL..but managed yesterdays and today's lesson this morning. Lesson one was all about PNG files and how to add a 'frame' and 'word art'. Here is what I came up with.

these are the two men in my life. I am loving this photo of my DS. The frame has really made the photo pop.

Today's lesson was using brushes on photos, she described it as thinking of them as stamps. I felt at home stamping LOL and created this...

This photo is from our holiday in Florida in 2006. We swam with the dolphins at Discovery Cove. DH decided he didn't want to do this so he was available to take some photo's. He was limited to where he could take them from so couldn't get close in and allot of them are cluttered. By applying what I learnt in Lesson 2 I was able to transform this photo and bring it back to be being just DS and myself, instead of us being lost amongst the others.

Can't wait for Lesson 3 tomorrow.

Good Day of Crafting

Weather was cooler today so I could get into the cabin for some crafting. I have been busy making some presents for my DS to take into school for his teachers, so I cannot share them at the moment incase they see them...
All I can say is I have been playing with the Fresh Cuts stamp set.

Here is something I can share with you all...I stamped the large image from the Fresh Cuts stamp set onto Whisper White card using Basic Grey ink. I then coloured in the flower part of the image using Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery ink using a blender pen. The photo isn't showing it very well, but I lightly inked all over the image in swirls with ink as well.

I am pleased how this card turned out, hope you like it too.



Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Cuts,
Card: Pumpkin Pie. Whisper White, Black
Ink: Basic Grey, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Pearl from Pretties Kit, Blender Pen, Scallop Oval and Oval Punches

One month exactly....

Ohh....I hadn't realised I hadn't updated my blog for a month!!..Sorry

My time has been taken up with taxi services for my DS. He has a love of cricket and plays for the U11 team and this year also the U13 team, so yes that means double the amount of travelling not to mention the couple of County U11 matches he has been asked to play. This along with his bowls has kept me rather busy. Plus now I am not working, hubby seems to think I can do all the chores around the house!!

I have however been doing a little crafting and have a couple of cards to share today.

This first card is one I made for my swap card for the Stampin Up! field training I attended last week.



Supplies
Card: Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla
Stamps: Soft Summer, Canvas BG, Soft Cuts
Ink: Certainly Celery, Basic Grey, Pink Passion, Rose Red
Accessories: Silver Brads, Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon

I made 25 of these to share with my fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I also came home with some wonderful cards shared by them. I used the fabulous Soft Summer stamp set for my card. I have to say, this stamp set is becoming my favourite, I seem to grab this set every time. Love it.

My second card is one using a stamp set I have been struggling with. With all this cricket I have had to attend, I have took along some crafting when ever I can. It is not always easy to do, but I have been water coloring in the beautiful flowers from the Playful Petals stamp set. I now have tons of these ready to make into cards. Yesterday, I thought I ought to use some of these, but found it really hard to create something using them...Grrrr. Can't understand why! they are such beautiful designs....just one of those days I guess...anyway after allot of shuffling of card and images, I came up with this.....




Supplies:
Card: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Black
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron
Stamps: Playful petals, Best Yet (Hostess Level 1)
Accessories: Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Oval and Scalloped Oval punches

Sooo much time........

has been spent on this project!!.I have wanted to make a scrapbook page of Alice for quite a while, but other commitments have prevented me making a start...until Sunday. I had so many ideas in my mind, but when I tried to put them on paper they just wouldn't work... I'm sure you know what I mean don't you.

I wanted to use Stampin' Up! items to make my own embellishments and here are a few. I have used two different stamp sets doing these, but I loved them. The problem I had was getting them on my page..




I also wanted to use an A on my page, so decided to draw around a chipboard letter that I had laying around (not SU) and then stamp on it. I also sponged around the edges to make it pop off the page.

Colours used are Pretty in Pink & Whisper White, with a splash of Barely Banana, Sage Shadow and Apricot Appeal.




Supplies
Stamp sets: In the Star, Nursery Necessities. Canvas BG
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Barely banana, Apricot Appeal, Sage Shadow
Card: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Ribbon: Light Pink Gingham, 1/2" Pretty in Pink Striped Grosgrain
Accessories: Scallop Circle punch, Scallop Edge punch, Large Star Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Crafters Tool Kit.

Honest scrap award from two lovely ladies

I'd like to thank Kate and Hayley for nominating me for this award.



According to Hayley:

"This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver's opinion, brilliant."

So thank you ladies, I'm very grateful.

The conditions of the award are:

• To thank the person who gave me the award, list their blog and link to it



• I must list 10 honest things about myself



• I must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog



• I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers & list their links



• I must notify the bloggers of the award
  

So here is my list of honest things about myself.......

1. Always putting my family first, (then get upset, because I feel they put upon me)



2. Love watching Neighbours and QVC



3. I become a different person, when I get behind the steering wheel of my car!



4. I love Kipling handbags. (There about the only colourful things I have in my wardrobe)



5. Alcohol makes me grumpy…Diet Coke for me



6. love CHOCOLATE ….. hate boiled sweets and chewing gum



7. Cannot walk past a craft shop without going in and buying something



8. Need to loose at least 6 stone in weight !!



9. I have to be early, never late…it drives my husband mad!



10. I look for clothes that don’t need ironing, because I loath Ironing

Now...who am I going to choose to pass this award onto....hmm, that is a hard one there are so many great blogs out there...but here is a small selection, I visit..

Jane - I followed Jane's blog and creations before I or Jane became Stampin' Up! Demo's. Her scrapbooking is fab.

Alison - Another fab scrapbooking lady from Norfolk, I have stalked for years

Bekka - My fab SU sister, who is always there to give encouragement - Thank you Hun

Dawn - I just Love Dawns creations

Monica - My SU Mum and such an inspiration to us all

Alex - One of my talented Downline. I just love this girls creations

Karen - Another of my talented downline...Karen is new to blogging but her creations are awsome

Right I will stop at seven....my list could go on and on..there are so many talented crafters out there....

Hello :0)

Thought it was about time I started to blog again. Sorry for being missing for so long...

I have been busy with family life and a new job. However the little job I had working at the school, has finished due to loss of funding, so I am now unemployed again...still gives me more time to craft LOL.

It's half term holiday and DH & DS have been fishing all day, which means I have been crafting. I decided to make a Thank You card to send to all the fab people I have been working with at the school. So many of them made me feel so welcome when I first started. Circumstances on my last day, ment I couldn't say goodbye to them all, so I wanted to send them a card to let them know, how grateful I was for all their kind words.

Now I can't take the credit for designing this card. I saw it somewhere some time ago, but I cannot remember where, so I cannot give credit to the person who designed it. Sorry...



Supplies:
Certainly Celery DP
Pale Plum Card stock
Pocket Silhouettes, Thank You Kindly stamp sets
Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon
Chocolate Chip ink

Now, I need to thank Kate and Hayley for leaving me an award. I will be back to post about that later....

BFN x